Employers urged to provide training for productive, effective generative AI use
Mid-level employees believe that they can save up to an entire day's worth of work per week if they utilise generative AI, as they think it could do up to 50% of their current job.
The latest survey from SnapLogic, which polled over 900 mid-level office workers in the UK, USA, and Australia, found that 47% think generative AI could save them six to 10 hours of work per week.
More than half of respondents who are already using generative AI for work said they are already saving one to five hours of work per week. Nearly a quarter of users (24%) even said they are already saving between six and 10 hours weekly, according to the report.
The findings come as 63% of the respondents said generative AI could do between 10 and 50% of their current job.
Uses of generative AI
Among users of generative AI, nearly half (49.73%) said they utilise the technology for research. Others said they use it for:
- Creative writing (36.45%)
- Marketing writing (26.75%)
- Design (24.96%)
- Translation (24.96%)
- Social media writing (23.34%)
- Image generative (21.36%)
- Coding (21.36%)
- Others (3.77%)
Despite such widespread use, however, another 36% of mid-level employees said they don't use generative AI for work at all.
Jeremiah Stone, Chief Technology Officer at SnapLogic, said they were "surprised" by the number of people who recognise AI's benefits and those not using it.
"There's a lot of lost productivity, exacerbated by the fact that some people are likely using gen-AI incorrectly or in ways that could actually pose a risk to their employer," Stone said.
Putting employers at risk
Meanwhile, the report also found that 40% of employees are using generative AI without their employer's knowledge, which could put their organisation at risk.
Employees, however, seem to recognise the potential danger from AI as 54% said they would avoid using it if they needed to share confidential information.
But the report said the findings still indicate that companies are failing to provide security-vetted closed systems that could stamp out potential risks.
With 53% of employees expressing interest in learning more about generative AI, the report said employers should provide more training to ensure that staff are using the technology "productively and safely."
"Staff training, clear guidance, and sensible guardrails allow employees to experiment in a safe environment, and in our experience, this is when employees can really discover what's possible with gen-AI," Stone said.
